The number of international students studying at colleges and universities in the USA (2008/2009 schoolyear) increased by 8% to 671,616, and the number of US students abroad (2007/2008 school year) increased by 8.5% to 262,416. Both the inbound and outbound totals, released by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in its annual Open Doors Report on November 16, 2009, are all-time highs. The report stresses that any impact from the global economic downturn may not be reflected in these numbers, as the commitment to study overseas was made prior to last fall for most of these students.

For international students in the USA, Canada overtook Japan for fourth place but otherwise the top five sending countries remain the same:

Although Western European destinations continue to be most popular for US students abroad, with England, Italy, Spain and France taking the top four spots, China, India and several other countries continue to grow in popularity. Shorter-term programs are very popular, and there are 23 US colleges that send 80% or more of their students abroad. IIE releases tons of information and statistics, so feel free to follow the links below to learn all you want about the enrollment of US students abroad.

One Comment

Many students are taking the opportunity to study in the USA and overseas for a number of reasons. I teach and students have told me they moved to learn or improve their English, new culture and other factors including to obtain a good education and accredited degree. US students travel to Europe, Asia and the Middle East as part of language courses and spend part of their academic studies at another university on an exchange.

Many students, such as people from the Middle East and Asia see the USA as a good place to study, qualifications, and experience the culture. I see a rise in the applications for USA College and universities as emerging countries become more able to pay for overseas studies.